RPGaMonth: WFRP 4e Part 1

I inadvertently started #RPGaMonth because I had a stack of gaming-related books that I had purchased but never read. With #RPGaMonth, I grab one of those books and start reading.

For February, 2019, I chose Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th edition.

Species (Race) and Class: So far these work for me. There are new careers I’ve never played, and those all interest me. If you chose randomly, you get an XP bonus.

Characteristics/Attributes: Things seem to get a little softer here, but there are more XP bonuses for those who play old school.

Raising characteristics: 1e was 100XP to raise your characteristic +10/+1. 2e was 100 XP to raise a characteristic +5. From what I can tell, you can raise 4e characteristics 1 point at a time. It looks like there’s a chart, because raising characteristics cost more the higher your current score. I did read that you can raise some with your starting advance scheme and Skills let you raise characteristics.

A 4e character has more starting Skills than a 1e character, about on par with a 2e character.

Careers: I skipped them so I didn’t make one of each before I continued.

Skipped Skills and Talents for the same reason as careers. I did go back and look at all the pictures of both, though.

I can grudgingly admit how Opposed Tests May be useful, but I don’t have to like it. It still adds more rolling at the table than I think necessary.

Not only do we have Opposed Rolls (groan), we have this new resource called Advantage that builds up the more you’re “winning” in combat. I don’t see how you’d lose anything if you decided not to use this tracked resource.

We have the same hit location table, which you get by reversing the dice…unless you roll a Critical Hit. In that case you just ignore reversing the dice and roll a separate d100.

Why?

Back to Opposed Rolls. They don’t happen with ranged weapons. Looks like all my 4e characters are archers!

There’s a sizable list of Conditions (Ablaze, Bleeding, Blinded, etc.)…some of which you can get more than once. Get those tracking tokens back out.

“Oh, this un’s about to wake up. Whack ‘em again!”

Fate: We have Fate (1e) and Fortune (2e), but we’ve added the mental equivalents Resilience and Resolve. We are not a holistic person.

Also, the Heal skill is a must in the party. Surgery talent highly suggested.

An elf has a higher than average Ballistic Skill and higher than average Intelligence. My character should be a surgeon with a bow.

Corruption: No longer called Insanity Points (maybe that’s not politically correct?), this can add up even quicker than ever before. The game certainly encourages a moderate spiral toward mutations and mental disorders. I will give 4e credit, this short section stimulates the imagination.

And that’s all for now. I ran out of time in February. I’ll have to complete the other half of the book later this year, as time permits.